As suggested by the mysterious voice, tonight's trial is the second stage, "The Queen of Black and White."
When Yun Wei arrived at the lobby on the first floor of the dormitory, he found that Xie Mulang and Richard were already there.
"Hey, little guy, why are you all alone?" Richard whistled at Yun Wei, but his eyes were fixed on what was behind him. "Where's your knight?"
"He's in the back, come down right away." Yun Wei said casually, but walked to Xie Mulang's side. He saw the latter looking at the thick fog outside the door with a deep frown.
He said, "Young Master Xie, you seem quite engrossed in your reading. Have you discovered something?"
Xie Mulang shook his head, but said, "Mr. Long and I have already analyzed it. In fact, we have already entered another space from the moment we stepped out of the dormitory. In other words, the challenge has already begun from the moment we stepped out of the dormitory."
"The space..." Upon hearing this, Yun Wei carefully examined his surroundings but found nothing unusual. He couldn't help but ask, "How do you know?"
In his eyes, the entire hall was exactly the same as the one he had seen during the day, and even the scratch he had secretly left on the stone pillar was perfectly preserved.
“It’s an aura,” Xie Mulang replied. “There is no aura of any other living beings in the entire space besides us. You mages may not understand this, but for us martial artists, whether it’s a wild goose flying in the sky or a fish sinking to the bottom of a pond, it will leave traces of its passage.”
At this moment, only the presence of the three of them remained in the space; the traces of the students and faculty who had passed through during the day seemed to have been erased.
Therefore, the space they are in now is not the actual dormitory that exists during the day, but a space specifically created for their trial!
In other words, even if others leave the dormitory tonight, what they see is merely another illusion created by the dense fog. Only those who have passed the first trial are currently in a space that is inextricably linked to the first trial.
"Hey, kid, can't you talk properly! What do you mean by 'we magicians'? You made such a great discovery, isn't it all because I just gave you some pointers?" Richard grumbled from the side, then, seeing Yun Wei looking at him with a puzzled expression, he curled his lips into a wicked smile. "Little guy, you should know, right? We Silver Dragons are the most skilled in spatial magic."
He winked at Yun Wei, who was the most noble magic dragon. If he formed a contract with him, becoming a Grand Magister would be as easy as drinking water.
"Ha, as a weak mage, Claude must be kicking himself right now," Richard thought smugly.
He couldn't wait to see a look of deep regret on the other person's face.
However, his confident smile froze when he saw Yun Wei's bewildered expression—
Yun Wei blinked.
What should he know? At this moment, he was still completely clueless.
What is a silver dragon? Is it because its hair is silver?
However, he had heard of spatial magic, a rare legacy left by the First Dynasty, which was also recorded in the "Tales of the Dead".
He had also drawn a teleportation scroll with extremely poor accuracy based on the information above, which teleported him directly from the underground of the temple to the southern forests, near the raging rock bear...
Well, if it weren't for that, he probably wouldn't have accidentally made a contract with Isaac in a moment of desperation.
“That’s right, the building we’re in now was created by using spatial magic to replicate the original scene.” Isaac walked down the steps. His hearing was excellent, and he could hear the three’s conversation from afar.
"How could you possibly know more about spatial magic than me?"
Richard opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to retort, but then suddenly remembered the other person's possible identity and reluctantly shut up.
Yun Wei's gaze met Isaac's in mid-air, but he subtly looked away and said to the crowd:
“Now that all four of us are here, let’s get moving. First, we need to find Vivian as soon as possible. Whether it’s the unknown sixth person or this created space, she might be in danger as she’s still alone.”
"Once we find her, we'll exchange information."
No one objected.
Xie Mulang, with his keen sense of presence, took the lead and vanished from the spot. Richard, meanwhile, looked thoughtfully between Yun Wei and Isaac... Why did he feel that after only half a day apart, the two of them were even more distant?
He was about to take a closer look at Yun Wei when he noticed Isaac's icy gaze, a silent warning.
Those smoky gray eyes, majestic and domineering, had lost their usual gentleness and elegance, and instead resembled those of a wolfhound guarding its food.
"Tsk, you stingy bastard, no wonder you can't get a wife!" Richard cursed inwardly.
Clearly sensing the tension between the two, the carefree Silver Dragon suddenly felt a mischievous urge to play a prank. He grinned smugly, gave Isaac a meaningful look, and then strode off after Xie Mulang with a rather flamboyant air.
Yun Wei stood quietly in the hall, waiting for Isaac to walk up to him before whispering, "Don't be reckless tonight. Stay close to me later. I can protect you..."
Yun Wei didn't say the last sentence because he wasn't confident enough.
Although he had only been enrolled for a few days, he had already realized that with his current strength, he was really too weak compared to the rest of the entire Zhuyuan Continent.
Leaving aside other professions, let's just talk about mages.
Contrary to his previous understanding, the total amount of magic power is not actually the decisive factor in judging a mage's strength. While it's true that total magic power is linked to talent, and mages with more abundant Time Branches can go further—
But in reality, the battles between the mages of the Zhuyuan Continent were not Yun Wei's long-held misconception: they were not simply a back-and-forth exchange of spells until both sides ran out of magic power.
Magic is actually a rather elegant discipline.
It should be noted that mages from the Second Dynasty, even using only simple low- to mid-level spells, can create a huge advantage on the battlefield and turn defeat into victory. They can even control the rhythm of the entire battlefield from the very beginning and easily influence the course of the battle.
What spells to use to gain an advantage, how to counter the opponent's spells, which spell combinations can create chain reactions, and all sorts of casting techniques...
These are all issues that Yunwei, who had previously worked in isolation, had never considered.
He possessed immense magical power, but lacked the corresponding combat skills, like someone who owned a treasure trove but hadn't found the key to unlock it.
Even so, after realizing his own weakness, he still wanted to protect Isaac.
Because each code is its own code.
Knowing that the other person's physical condition had deteriorated to such an extent, yet still loyally stayed by his side, he couldn't help but be moved by the other person's actions.
“Yun…” Isaac stared intently at Yun Wei. Although his master’s expression remained indifferent, he understood the concern in the other’s words.
He suddenly had a lot to say to his master, but he didn't know how to begin.
"Alright, we can talk about it later. Now we should catch up." Yun Wei turned around, took a deep breath silently, and took the lead.
He couldn't stand Isaac's gaze, especially when the other man stared at him, his beautiful smoky gray eyes reflecting only his own image.
He felt that sooner or later he would drown in the other person's focused gaze.
...
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened on the way. Vivian wisely chose not to wander around, but instead waited downstairs at the dormitory.
The five people eventually reunited successfully.
The group stood at the magic lamp outside the girls' dormitory, the rotating light dispelling the ever-flowing fog around them.
Even though they already knew that everything they saw and heard at this moment—whether it was the lights, the fog, or even the entire building behind them—was merely a creation of spatial magic, light could still offer some solace to the soul, something better than nothing.
After passing the first round of trials, Yun Wei had already become the backbone of this small group.
Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Yun Wei cleared his throat and began to preside:
"Based on the information we have so far, tonight's challenge is called 'The Queen of Black and White.' What are your thoughts on this? Feel free to share your opinions, and I will summarize them at the end."
This is the time for everyone to speak freely. In my previous life, this kind of brainstorming activity was called "brainstorming".
“The name sounds like it has a sinister undertone,” Richard commented. “Black and white often symbolize justice and evil, and I suspect there will be two beautiful ladies in this trial, and we will have to choose to help one of them.”
“But how do you know there are two?” Vivian offered a different perspective. “It’s possible that the queen herself possesses two colors… She might be white during the day and transform into another at night.”
"It's like a revenge story about a two-faced queen." Yun Wei nodded. Black and white do indeed have naturally opposing colors, and characters with split personalities do exist. He had seen many similar stories in his previous life.
“You’re only analyzing from the perspective of the name, but I have to remind you, did you notice the scene in the thick fog?” Xie Mulang maintained the vigilance of a martial artist. Although he was also participating in the discussion, he still devoted half of his attention to being on guard against his surroundings. He said, “That place is only black and white.”
"Ah, right!" Reminded by Xie Mulang, Yun Wei also recalled the ground he had seen in the thick fog that day. "At the time, I thought it looked like piano keys, black and white interlaced, with smooth edges."
"What is a steel zither..." Xie Mulang was puzzled. He imagined the Fuxi Zither made of steel in his mind and couldn't help but shake his head.
"Pfft, it's a piano, a stringed instrument that's been popular since the Second Dynasty," Vivian couldn't help but chuckle as she quickly explained.
Yun Wei looked at Isaac, who was listening quietly beside him, and seeing that he was still silent, he couldn't help but ask, "Isaac, do you have any thoughts?"
Isaac shook his head, indicating that his consideration was not yet fully developed, but he still shared his insights with everyone, "Sorry, I was a little distracted. I was just thinking about who issued this trial."
"The Tower of All Laws existed before the First Dynasty, and gargoyles were invented by the First Dynasty, which was proficient in spatial magic. Therefore, I am more inclined to separate the establishment of the Trials from the Tower of All Laws."
"Perhaps this trial is a product of the First Dynasty," he concluded, then looked at Vivian and asked, "Vivian, who is the most honored woman in the Kingdom of Blacksor now—"
"It's Mother..."
Upon hearing Isaac's sudden question, Vivian instinctively blurted out, but stopped herself in time. She immediately understood what Isaac meant and replied, "Queen Elinda."
She emphasized the word "Queen".
The former Second Dynasty has long since collapsed, and three kingdoms stand in a tripartite balance, yet no one dares to overstep the glory of the Second Dynasty or presume to declare itself an empire.
The remaining three were all ordinary people and were not so sensitive to the terms, but they belatedly realized what it meant.
The term "Empress" only appeared during the first dynasty.
After everyone had shared their views, the crowd fell silent once again.
Seeing this, Yun Wei began to summarize: "So, combining our analysis just now, we can draw the following conclusion—"
He paused, and seeing that everyone was listening attentively, he continued:
"First, this trial itself was set up during the First Dynasty, and its purpose is unclear, but it has prevented us from reaching the Tower of All Laws. We must pass this trial tonight in order to unlock the subsequent trials."
“Secondly, this trial itself is very likely related to the court secrets of the First Dynasty, so tonight, Isaac and Vivian,” he looked at the two of them and then asked, “you two have the most extensive knowledge of historical mysteries, and you will be responsible for finding clues from the subtle clues that appear in the scene. Richard, Xie, and I will be more inclined to fight tonight, and we will do our best to protect you and prevent your minds from being disturbed.”
This is a simple tactical arrangement.
After all, let's set aside the fact that he's not even from this world and knows very little about the history of the mainland.
Xie Mulang, a member of the Bili people, lives in Bili City, thousands of miles away. This city is separated from the main continent by a vast expanse of merman mudflats, and he knows little about the secrets of the previous dynasties of the Zhuyuan Continent.
As for Richard, this member of the dragon clan—
Since the other party is no longer considered human, Yun Wei doesn't expect it to play a significant role in exploring the mysteries of human society's history.
Besides, Richard is a dragon who can easily cast level 5 spells. Yun Wei felt that it would be a waste not to use him as a henchman.
Seeing that everyone had no objections to the above arrangements, Yun Wei added one last point:
"Third, we must always pay attention to the color of the ground beneath our feet. If we encounter characters from different factions, we should try to observe the situation calmly and avoid any hostile actions to prevent being attacked by both sides at the same time."
"That's all. I've finished speaking. Everyone, get ready. After ten light sweeps, we'll officially set off!"
After speaking, Yun Wei turned to look at the thick fog behind him, which was almost solidified. His gaze fell on the flickering light and shadow, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
Black and white, the queen...
He always felt that there was something more fitting to associate with the piano keys than the piano keys, but he couldn't recall it at the moment.
The magic lamp quickly spun two and a half times in the silent wait.
"Let's go, puzzle-solving team, let's go!" Richard clapped his hands, casually came up with a team name, and seeing that everyone's expressions were serious, he just wanted to liven up the almost stagnant atmosphere.
Xie Mulang took the lead and entered the thick fog.
Then came Isaac and Vivian, followed by Yunwei, with Richard bringing up the rear at the very end of the procession.
Xie Mulang is skilled in both magic and martial arts, and is agile, making him ideal for scouting ahead. Isaac and Vivian, following closely behind, form a knight-healer combination, capable of providing timely support if Xie Mulang notices something amiss and withstand the first wave of attack.
As the combat command center, Yunwei can provide flexible support and timely decision-making to the entire team; Richard is not only tough and resilient, but also the strongest among the five. He can deliver powerful attacks from a distance and block threats from behind, making him the perfect person to stay at the rear.
This lineup is both offensive and defensive, making it the most reliable. It is also the most popular "dot-inverted triangle-dot" formation for five-person mercenary teams on the Zhuyuan Continent.
As Richard, who was at the back of the group, was swallowed up by the thick fog, the trial challenge of the "Queen of Black and White" officially began.
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